The Heart of a Dead Boy
by Ina-chanz
Summary: A young Anzu witnessed the death of a child one morning on the way to school. Later, she finds the same child to be with her, unable to pass on for unknown circumstances. The child, Marik, now tags onto her, Anzu helping him find out why he is still here.


Title: The Heart of A Dead Boy

Author: Ina-chanz

Pairing: Marik Ishar x Anzu Mazaki

Genres: Romance, Drama, Humor, Friendship

Rating: T (but might go to M later)

Warnings: Possible sexual content later.

Words: normal text (narration)

"Words": speech

_Words_: Thoughts, flashbacks, or emphasis on speech (easy to distinguish)

**Words**: Emphasis on text or titles

**(Words)**/**(Numbers)**:author notes and numbers to lead to author's notes that explains those parts specifically at the end of the chapter.

"WORDS": screaming

Disclaimer: I do not claim any ownership over any characters or settings in this story, just simply the plot maybe. All rights reserved respectively towards original owners.

-:|:-

**The Heart of A Dead Boy**

**Chapter One**

-:|:-

It was so irritating, having to walk an extra block to school. The wheels of the little pink backpack scratched against the pavement as the little girl heaved it up a hill on the street. Her uniform, which nearly covered her head to toe, was making her sweat more than she should of in the intense sun. Her bangs were plastered against her forehead. She wiped them with her small wrist before pulling the overly heavy backpack all the way up the hill, her scrawny legs just barely carrying her there . She stopped for a moment to catch her breath.

Anzu wished she didn't have to walk in such a large circle to school. She could of went straight down the street, as she usually would have, but today an unfortunate tragedy had befallen the city that morning.

_The crashing of a car and a woman's scream made Anzu almost jump out of her clothes. She looked down the street. On the cement was a small child, a tiny pool of blood already forming around. The scream was from a woman who had been just happened to be walking by. The driver immediately got out of the car, holding his head as he saw the lifeless body on the ground. Anzu couldn't stop watching in terror as she noticed the stain of blood on the car's hood. She felt herself take a step forward, but stopped. Her body was trembling in fear. Out of nowhere people came out of houses and from other streets, crying and calling for help. Soon Anzu could no longer see the corpse on the street from the crowds of people._

_ "Everyone stand back! The ambulance is on its way!" a man shouted at the people. Anzu found herself at the back of the mourning crowd, dragging her backpack with her as she stepped back. She bumped into something behind her, making her look around._

_ "Go on to school, there's nothing for you to see," it was a policeman, telling her these things after recognizing her outfit. She nodded and ran towards another street, the ambulance hurrying past her as she did._

A small gust of wind blew past her short brown hair, hair that barely went past her cheeks. A sickening feeling dug itself into her heart, remembering things that only happened not even an hour ago. Before long, Anzu tightened her grip on the backpack, trudging it along with her as she continued to walk.

-:|:-

"Goodbye!" the teacher's sweet voice sung as school bell went off. Anzu smied back at her teacher and waved her goodbye. Anzu walked down the tiny courtyard of the academy back towards the street to go home. Just as her foot first step through the threshold of the academy gate, her ears heard muttering.

"…yeah, it was really sad," one little girl's voice said. "The little boy was killed this morning by a car. It's just horrible."

Anzu bowed her head, suddenly remembering once again what happened that morning. She walked quietly and slowly out of the gate, the children's voices still talking as they faded away as she went farther and farther.

"It _is_ horrible. Actually, I don't think he went to any schools around here."

"I don't think he had any parents either."

-:|:-

"Anzu, are you alright? You seem sad," her mother frowned down at her daughter. Anzu walked rather sadly inside the house, her mother closing the door behind her.

"I don't think it's a surprise. Didn't you hear about the boy that died this morning?" Anzu's father asked his spouse as he smoked a cigarette.

"What? This morning?" the woman asked in disbelief, bringing her hand up to her heart. "How? When?"

"It was on the local news. A little boy got hit by a car this morning down the street. He died instantly. Weirdest thing is that no one knows who he is. He didn't look like he was from here judging by the clothes he was wearing. People asked around who he could be but no one knows. They're trying to locate his family right now."

"Oh my god," Anzu's mother brought her hand up from her chest to her mouth. Anzu was still looking down.

"It was on…_this _street?" her mother asked.

"Yeah, so Anzu, you better watch where you're going, and look both ways before crossing the street. You here me?" her father shouted, making her jump.

"Yes sir, I always do anyway. I -"

"No! I'm driving you to school everyday from now on! I don't care if it's just around the corner!" her mother interrupted worriedly.

"Tsuki, I think you're taking this-"

"No, I'm not going to risk it!" Tsuki shot towards her husband. "She's only seven years old, she shouldn't be walking to school alone anyway!" both of the parents stopped before looking down at their daughter, who as watching quietly with her big blue eyes.

"Anzu, go to your room, please. Go do some homework. Me and your father will talk about this," Tsuki told her.

"Um, okay," Anzu walked towards the stairs, but just as she hardly took two steps, she stopped dead in her tracks. Anzu heard a sound, an unusual sound…it was something faint. Anzu listened closer over her parents' conversation. Her ears could barely pick it up, but to her it sounded like…crying. Someone was crying. But who? Anzu and her parents were the only ones that lived in the house. What made her skin crawl was when she heard what sounded like soft feet run up the stairs she had been meaning to walk up herself. She couldn't move.

"Anzu?" her mother asked, seeing the small child frozen next to the stairs. Anzu spun around.

"I-I heard something!" she squeaked with panick.

"Heard what?"

"I heard someone crying! And then something went up the stairs!"

"Crying coming from nowhere?" Tsuki asked to herself aloud. "I shouldn't suggest this, but, that boy did die only a few hours ago. Maybe it's him. It wou-"

"Oh no, no, no. Anzu, you're not hearing GHOSTS," Anzu's father cut in. "No such thing exists. You didn't hear anything. It's just your mind making up stuff to deal with that kid's death or something. Just ignore it and go to your room."

"But-"

"Go to your room!" her father shouted. Anzu nodded hesitantly before cautiously going up the steps. Once on the next floor, Anzu stopped walking again. The crying noise came back, this time a little clearer. Almost mindlessly, Anzu slowly walked down the dark hallway, the sobs and huffs echoing past her. The crying was louder the deeper she went. Looking to her side, she saw her room's door. It sounded as if it was coming from there. A shiver went up her spine as she grabbed the knob, turning it ever so gently.

She pushed the door open, the door swinging to the side completely void of sound. Anzu stepped into her room, hearing the chokes and sniffs very clearly now. Thoughts of running out of her room went by, but she decided against them…for now, at least. Anzu walked around, looking for the noise. She eventually made her way to her bed. Her eyes widened.

On the other side of her bed, there was a crouched person leaning against the wall her bed's head was pressed against. She dared to walk around the bed, seeing all of the person now. To be more specific, it wasn't a person, but a child, somewhere around her age. The child's hands were pressed against their eyes as they faced the wall. Anzu's breathing became staggered as she looked harder at the child. She could see through the child to the wall. Anzu's mouth trembled as she opened it,

"Hello?"

The child snapped his head around his shoulder, looking directly into her eyes with despairing violet ones, his cheeks stained with tears. Anzu gasped, taking a step back from the sudden action. His eyes glistened with fear as he turned around, letting himself sit as he leaned back to face her now, panting from all the crying.

"What?" he asked, his voice cracked as it echoed. Anzu was speechless. She opened her mouth again to try to talk, but all words escaped her.

"_What_?" he asked again in the same matter, his brow furrowing. "What do you want?"

She still said nothing. Suddenly the boy became angry, making Anzu even more scared as her knees buckled.

"_GO AWAY!_" he screamed. "_LEAVE ME ALONE! GO! I'M NOT DEAD! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!_"

Anzu screeched and darted out of her room, slamming the door behind her. As soon as she did she heard the sobs start again, but that did not stop her. She ran all the way down the stairs, still yelling her head off. Her mother was the first to hug her.

"ANZU! What's wrong?" she yelled. Anzu shivered in her mother's arms as she looked up at her with teary eyes.

"There's someone in my room! I don't know who it is!" she yelped. Her father suddenly ran up the stairs without a word and kicked his daughter's door open.

"Yusuke!" his wife shouted as mother and daughter quickly followed him.

"Who's in here?" he demanded. Nothing answered. Anzu held her mother's hand as her father ripped her curtains open. The single window of the room was still locked and unharmed, not appearing as if anyone had broken it open. Yusuke turned around and looked down at his daughter.

"Are you sure you saw som-" he suddenly remembered the closest. He hurried up to it and forced it open. Anzu gasped, holding onto her mother tighter. It was the boy. He was hiding behind the clothes inside the compartment.

"Look!" Anzu yelled, pointing straight at him. The boy looked at her with horrified eyes. Her father did as she said.

"I don't see anything," he stated.

"What?" she asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"There's nothing here Anzu!" her father said.

"B-But he's right there! You're looking straight at him!" she insisted.

Her father shook his head at her. "Anzu, for the last time, there's no such thing as damn ghosts. Nothing is here!" he threw one of her shoes that was on the floor into the closest. Anzu was as equally terrified as the boy was when they both saw the shoe go straight through him, hitting a stack of clothes. Anzu hid behind her mother, peering over her side.

"See? Nothing!" he told her. "Now do you still see something?"

"I…" Anzu looked back at the boy. His eyes were pleading to her. She stared at him for a moment before looking back at her father.

"…no. I don't, sir," she answered him solemnly. Yusuke closed the closet door.

"That's good, because there's nothing there," he said. "Don't worry me like that. Just do your homework now, as we told you," her father walked out the room, a sigh escaping him after he was in the hall. Anzu's mother looked down at her before following her husband. Anzu sighed. She looked back at the closet. As soon as she did, she saw the boy's head peek out through the door's wood, the rest of his body on the other side of it.

"Why did you do that?" he asked. She let out a short scream.

"What is it now?" her father called from downstairs.

"U-um…Nothing!" she replied over her shoulder. She looked back at the spirit. He fully emerged through the door, standing a few feet away from her as he stared at her. Anzu could now see a full view of him; he seemed to be slightly taller than her. His big, deep purple eyes were slightly covered by his light blond bangs, the rest of his hair flowing down, a little past his shoulders. From his ears hung traditional golden earrings, the rest of his tanned body garbed in plain white clothes, clothes that were slightly torn and dirty. He wore sandals on his feet as well.

The boy took a step forward, making Anzu take a step back.

"Please answer. I'm sorry for yelling at you like that. I won't hurt you…I promise," he told her.

"…C-Cross your heart?" her lip quivered. He nodded at her, taking one finger and swishing it in an "X" formation in front of his chest. She let a small bit of air pass her lips in relief. She looked at him.

"I…I don't know. If I said I did see you again, my dad might think I was crazy or something…am I crazy?"

"No, unfortunately," he answered her with sadness, looking down to the side. "I am in fact real."

"Oh…" she took a few steps up to him, his head still bowed. His lip quivered, a tear falling from his face. She stopped approaching him. Anzu watched the tears fall, but they never hit the ground. They faded away before they could. She looked at him again.

"…What's your name?" she asked curiously, and yet with sorrow at the same time.

"What does it matter, I'm dead," he reasoned, staggering away from her to her bed, sitting on it. Anzu followed him, standing in front of him.

"It matters to me…I want to call you by _some_ name," she told him.

"You can call me Stupid, if you'd like," he replied. She giggled at the unintentional joke. Unintentional or not, the boy chuckled softly with her.

"I guess that was a little funny," he said smiling as he looked up at her, even though his eyes didn't smile as well. At that moment, he held his head, shaking it and looking down again. Anzu stared at him, confused.

"No…what am I laughing about? This isn't funny! I'm dead!" he suddenly started crying again. Anzu's smile was wiped from her face as he said that.

"It's okay, please don't cry," she said, trying to comfort the poor soul. "You'll be alright…" she tried placing a hand on his shoulder, but it just went through him. In the moment her hand was in him, she felt unbelievable coldness. She quickly retracted her hand. He looked at her.

"No, I won't," he sniffed. "I'm dead. I'll never get to see Ishizu or Rishid ever again…I never should of…of…I…" a tear rolled off the tip of his nose. He watched it make a collision course towards the girl's small foot, but it simply faded away again, as the rest of his tears did. He hid his face in his hands again. The girl leaned closer to him, watching him despair.

"Yes, you will. You'll be okay. Please tell me your name. My name's Anzu," she said gently to him. He gasped in his sobs, forcing himself to stop crying in front of her. His eyes peered up at hers.

"Marik," he forced out, tears rolling down his cheeks. She smiled at him.

"That's a nice name," she told him.

"Yeah…for a dead boy…" he muttered. Marik wiped away the last of his tears. He had finally stopped crying, but the sorrow was still written all over his face. Anzu wished she could hug him, knowing that Marik must of felt so alone, but she knew if she tried, her arms would just go through him again.

"You'll be okay," she said yet again. "Marik…if you can't go anywhere else…you can stay with me." He fixed his eyes on her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean that you can live with me. I don't think my parents would mind, since they can't see you…" she said. Anzu's eyes widened slightly. "That reminds me…how come I'm the only one that can see you, Marik?"

Marik's eyes averted down as he stood up, standing right next to her.

"I…" he started. "After I…died…I remember blacking out before waking up again, looking down at my dead self in front of the car that killed me. After I did, I suddenly jerked to the side, past all the people…to you," he looked up at her, his head facing downwards. "It wasn't on purpose, but for some reason, my soul decided to cling onto yours; out of all those people, I went to you. I don't know why…the only reason I can think of is that we were the only children at the accident. How old are you, Anzu?" 

"Seven," she answered, registering in all that he was telling her. "But what does my age have to do with anything?"

"I don't know. As I said, We were the only two children at the accident, so maybe, I could guess, that my soul needed a body to hang on to because my actual body was dead, so it chose yours, since apparently, we're the same age. My soul chose the closest body that was similar to my own age, and it was you. That's all that I can think of."

Anzu blinked, running all of the information through her head. "So…you're…stuck with me?"

"I suppose. I tried leaving somewhere else as you went to school, but when I was really far away, I was suddenly sucked back to your side," he explained. "My soul is connected with yours now. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that…is it really that bad a thing for me to be stuck with you?"

"It's okay, and no, it isn't. You seem nice. You're just scared right now," she told him, not really understanding all of this. "So that's why I'm the only one that can see you…"

"Yeah," he said. She stepped up to him, hardly inches away from him. She extended her hand to try and touch him. As expected, her hand went through him as if he wasn't really there, the chilling cold tickling her skin. Anzu brought her hand back next to herself.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Just…checking," she responded. "I never really met a ghost before…"

"I was still a kid a few hours ago," Marik stated, his eyes averted to the floor boards. She kept her eyes fixed on him as he scrolled his eyes over to her. "Thank you Anzu. You seem nice too."

"Thanks," she smiled. "So are you okay now?"

"I don't know," he admitted, frowning. "It'll take a while for me to get use to this…I really wanna see Ishizu though…and Rishid…"

"One day we can," she said. "I don't know how, but we will."

"Thank you," he said quietly, walking to a chair and sitting on it. He fixed his eyes on the desk the chair was in front of, seeing a textbook laying on it.

"What's this about?" he asked, trying to lighten up his mood. Anzu strolled up next to him, looking down at the book as well.

"My textbook. It's about fractions and other mathy stuff. Hey, couldn't you read the cover?" she asked.

"No, it's just gibberish to me," he retorted. "What's really weird is that I can understand you, actually. I'm from Egypt, so it doesn't make much sense that I understand a Japanese girl…"

"Egypt?" she buzzed. "You're from all the way over there? Why're you in Domino then?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he answered. "Not now, at least…"

"Oh okay…but that's really cool!" she beamed. "I'm learning about ancient civilizations in history class right now! Do you now anything about the early Egyptians?"

"No," he lied. "I told you, I really don't want to talk about _that_ right now."

"Oh, sorry," she replied. Anzu yawned. He eyed her.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"Yeah. It was a long day at school," she said, plopping on her bed. "You know, now that I think about it, it might be kinda nice to have you here. You're someone I can really talk to about things."

"Heh, I guess," he said, looking back down at the textbook. Silence fell over the room. After several moments, Marik got up out of the chair.

"Hey, Anzu, I needed to ask if you kne-" his words ceased. He walked around the bed to see the little girl, breathing slowly as she slept, still fully dressed. Marik got on the bed with her, laying a couple inches away from her, watching her sleep. "I'll ask you later," he muttered to her, knowing she wasn't conscious. Marik closed his eyes. His heart felt like it was being ripped apart as he continued to accept his death. A few more tears fell from his eyes as flashes of his family went before his eyes. Strangely enough, being a spirit, he fell asleep too, with his only friend in the world.

-:|:-

**(****Those aren't Anzu's parents' real names. I just don't want to keep calling them "Anzu's mother/father" through the whole story.)**


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